Despite predictions for a tougher year for the real estate industry, the number of sales and property prices are holding steady on Maui.

Each month, the Realtor Association of Maui releases market statistics, including a broad outlook of the industry and historical data. The numbers from February 2019 show that new listings jumped 7 percent and pending sales increased 10 percent for single-family homes compared to the year before.

For yet another year in a row, Maui’s famous Ka’anapali Beach has made the list of the top 25 beaches across the globe.

Each year, TripAdvisor ranks beaches across the globe that its millions of users visit on their travels. The white sands and azure waters of Ka’anapali Beach stacked up at No. 14 on the planet, among other world-class vacation destinations like Cuba, Brazil, Greece, Australia, Cyprus and the Seychelles.

With 3 miles of white sand and water so clear it looks like glass, it’s no surprise that Ka’anapali Beach frequently ranks among the nation and world’s best beach. The resort located on the beach was the first of its kind planned in Hawai’i, which has since become a model for the rest of the globe.

Island Sotheby’s International Realty is proud to announce that Mari Ippolito R(S) is one of the most recent agents to join the prestigious firm’s growing team.

Born in the Philippines and raised in California, Mari has spent the last 19 years living on Maui. She fell in love with the island's natural wonders and welcoming community, which she quickly made her home. Since then, she has delved into Maui's real estate industry, buying and selling her own investment properties. She not only brings her personal knowledge to every transaction, but also a passion for negotiation to address all of her clients' needs.

For Mari, there's nothing better than helping a first-time buyer find the perfect home or investment property. We sat down to talk

Once again, the halls of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center are lined with work from some of the island’s most celebrated artists, open for the public to view for almost the entire month of March.

The Schaefer International Gallery is currently home to Art Maui 2019, which marks the 41st year the famed event has showcased some of the best local artists. This year, jurors selected dozens of artists ranging from Pamela Hayes to Jeanne Young, whose works featured a plethora mediums spanning from oil paintings to stone to encaustic mixed media.

Founded in 1979, Art Maui is a nonprofit organization, overseen by an all-volunteer board of directors, that seeks to promote, encourage, and recognize excellence in visual arts across Maui County. The

As the Christian missionaries flooded the Hawaiian Islands in the 1800s to spread their churches’ teachings, Native Hawaiians’ beliefs and traditions were oppressed. But King David La’amea Kalākaua, who was elected king of the Hawaiian Nation in 1874, did not ascribe to their beliefs.

Instead, he and his queen, Kapiʻolani, lived by the motto, “Hoʻoūlu Lāhui,” — increase the nation. They supported a renewed sense of pride in Hawaiian culture and sovereignty. Patrons of the arts, they promoted Hawaiian art forms, especially music and dance. And they worked to preserve the expression of native knowledge — by documenting the ancient storytelling of chanting and hula.

When many people think about hula, pictures of luaus or dinner shows come to mind. But that commercialized version is far from the reality of the ancient performing art, which for centuries existed as Native Hawaiians’ foundation for documenting genealogy, mythology and history.

Even today, hula is just as much a part of Hawaiian culture as it was centuries ago. But to get a deeper understanding of the dance and storytelling art, forgo the resorts and instead head to hula competitions and celebrations across the Hawaiians islands — some of the most celebrated of which take place in Maui County.

Everyone knows about the Merrie Monarch Festival, known as the Olympics of hula, which takes place on the island of Hawai’i each spring. But you don’t have

For some members of the Island Sotheby’s International Realty team, hula is still very much a part of daily life - a way they can continue to preserve and celebrate their community’s culture and history.

Every member of Island Sotheby’s International Realty’s administrative team and several agents have at some point in their lives danced hula - or still do. Ranging from comptroller Patti Schumacher to office administrator Hulali Pokipala to real estate agent Kristen Goo, Island Sotheby's team members from across Maui have made hula an integral part of their lives. Take Georgianna Tamayose, the real estate firm’s president, for example.

“I started dancing hula at the age of 9,” explained Tamayose. “I tried different sports and was not an